When it rains, it pours, and as soon as we get a bit of sunshine, we get doused again: that’s the life of an Arsenal supporter.

You’ve no doubt seen the reports that Our Fair Captain, Cesc Fabregas, has been formally charged on two counts of improper conduct by the Football Association. These charges are for spitting and for coming on to the pitch after the match. The FA have also charged Phil Brown with bringing the game into disrepute for the comments he made about Mike Riley after the game. Both people have until May 12th to respond to the charges.

At the Friday press conference, Arsene Wenger spoke about the charges and seemed incredulous that his player would even be charged

I personally looked at the reports, at the video evidence and there is nothing in there against Cesc.

I have personally looked through as much of the FA records as I can find and I cannot find a single incidence where a player was charged for “ his behavior in coming onto the pitch after the final whistle.” This is the Arsenal captain, coming back after a long layoff with injury, congratulating his team after a hard fought victory over a pack of lying, cheating, overly orange scumbags. In my mind, the captain of the team has every right to be on the pitch to celebrate with his team after the final whistle has blown.In the history of exceptional charges brought against Arsenal players, and that is a long history indeed, this first charge is the most preposterous charge I have ever seen. In addition, when you consider the behavior you have seen this year, the racism that players have suffered, homophobia, xenophobia, the drink driving charges, betting scandals and all of the other ills in football for the FA to take a captain of his team to the bar for “coming onto the pitch” is ludicrous. These ass-clowns can’t even get the pitch right at their centerpiece stadium, and they’re going to charge the Arsenal captain for being on the pitch after the game?

And the worst part? He can’t deny that he was on the pitch. I think this charge will stick and Cesc gets a 3 match ban. Just think about that. Could you imagine for a second Ryan Giggs getting a ban for coming on to the pitch after a game?

Exactly.

As for the second charge, that he spat at or near or on or in the general vicinity of and in the direction of which toward could be described as “at” the Assistant to the Loser (depending on the day and how many drinks Phil Brown’s had before the interview) everyone keeps saying that there is no video evidence. Which means that it’s Cesc’s word against their word.

He’ll probably get a month ban for that, after all, he’s an Arsenal player and foreign to boot.

And what will come of the indisputable fact that Phil Brown by word and deed has brought the game into disrepute? You could color me surprised if he got off on that charge, because the evidence is overwhelming. That said, if there’s any wiggle room here, the FA will find it and give him a lighter punishment.

Incidentally, the May 12th deadline for submitting the facts is after the Chelsea league game and before the Man U league game — Arsenal’s penultimate game. Now, if I was a paranoid man, I might say “hmmm… that’s pretty fcuking convenient, for Man U, that Arsenal’s Captain will be, in all likelihood, suspended for what could be the title-deciding match of the season. Pretty fcuking convenient.” Thankfully I’m not a paranoid man!

This whole sordid tale has been one disgraceful minute after another and I will be glad to see the back of it. If Fabregas is found guilty we all know what his real crime is: being a foreigner on an Arsenal team. And if he’s found guilty we will no doubt hear the highly ironic charge of “Arsenal’s Indiscipline” from quarters such as Chelsea. In other words, same stuff different day, and who cares?

What I actually care about is the fact that Arsenal might have Djourou, Almunia, and Adebayor back for the ‘Boro game on Sunday which, if true, is huge boost to our back line and to our attack (if Adebayor actually gives a rat’s ass). And like I said at the outset, as soon as the sun shines on us we get a deluge: the boss has confirmed that Thomas Rosicky will be out for the rest of the season. At this point, Rosicky has been in and out (mostly out) of the team for over a year and a half and Wenger faces a decision: cut our losses or stay in for the long term. Wenger is very loyal so I wouldn’t be surprised if Rosicky got another year to try to recover. What else can I say but get well soon little fella.

More damaging are the reports that Robin van Persie is going to be out now for what looks like two weeks, missing the first leg of the Man U Champions League semi-final. This is a huge blow for a team who’s only other real options at striker are a chronic grifter, a dofus with the touch of a defender, and then a bunch of children. Ugh.

There is a match directly in front of us and from a distance, I really hope ‘Boro find a way to stay up this year. I like the team and what Gareth Southgate has done with the club is nothing short of amazing. Moreover, I am actively rooting for Newcastle and Blackburn to make the drop so, I really want ‘Boro to get some points between now and the end of the season. Just not on Sunday!

The match on Sunday will be tape delayed here in Tacoma and Doyle’s is showing it at 8am. Perfect time to have a cup of coffee, some breakfast, and get in an Arsenal match before the Sunday kickaround. For the rest of you, the game kicks off at 5:30 am (PST) and is exclusively on Setanta (and/or some illegal video stream). So, if you’re in town, come on down and join the fun.

Arsenal are composed of young players, aiming for third or fourth place, but we do not really speak about them for the title. Chelsea are like Real Madrid – the pressure here is huge.

Yes, the pressure at Chelsea is huge, because the owner has paid $1bn to raise his Johnny Come Lately supporter’s expectations only to have them dashed on the rocks of 2+ years without any silverware and a put together a team that, frankly, looks ripe for Arsenal to overtake at 3rd place. But, really, the thing that make me laugh the most is the delicious, delicious, irony of a player on a team that is in 3rd place calling out another team for being a “3rd place team.”

Maybe that can be our ray of sunshine for the day, we’ll need something to protect us from the deluge of know-it-all pundits who are about to hit the papers with column feet of know-it-all punditry about how much spit Cesc could have possibly spit and what this means for the future of English football and how we need an immediate return to the good old days — when teams were mostly English (read “British”) and the only thing you had to worry about was a barroom brawl afters.

Ugh, it’s going to be a long weekend.

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9 Responses to “All charged up and ready to go!”

I say we skip the FA cup next year. What a joke! Wembley is crap anyway! How can they punish Cesc for something that “might” have happened?! I hope Hull Shitty gets relegated! They don’t belong with the big boys!

incredible bunsh of B.S. fabregas did nothing wrong also being treated that way will give him a motive to go to barcelona where he will be treated like a king justlike man utd here a dreadful desision by the terrible fa

I am really really really sad and angry about FA’s decision against Cesc. I am also disappionted with English Football( all for ManU). If Cesc quit Arsenal for Real this summer, i promise i will never follow PL anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You couldn’t have said it better, my fellow beleaguered gooner. The FA seems to be filled with this righteous xenophobic fury that rivals even Italian football. Do you think Gerrard would be punished? How do you think the media would react to Brown if he had said “Gerrard spit at some dude”, they would call for Brown’s head and claim that this is another attempt to “tarnish English footballers”. This is the country that only beat Trinidad and Tobago by cheating (Hey Crouch, way to pull on some dudes hair to score a goal, ace!) and no one said SHIT about it. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut oh well, such is life.

Oh and thank you so much for putting the Terry gets kicked in the face thing. What of that, by the way? Didn’t Terry get a DUI or whatever the English equivalent is….wasn’t Cashley Hole seen outside a charity event wasted? What of these men? Those are truly actions that bring the game into disrepute and do nothing more than further the stereotype that athletes are overpaid children. There’s no proof against Fabregas, damnit! NONE. But it’s ok to be punk in drublic if you’re a member of the English National Team.